


Fever Pitch

by Pigzxo



Series: Wyndolliday Raises A Baby [2]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fever, Fluff, M/M, Multi, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 05:31:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11914227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pigzxo/pseuds/Pigzxo
Summary: Alice gets a fever in the middle of the night. Wynonna, Doc, and Dolls scramble to take care of her.





	Fever Pitch

**Author's Note:**

> If you read the first part of this, the baby had a different name, but it's been changed to her real name b/c, well, a) it wasn't that hard to change and b) I'm a sucker for naming babies after people's parents

When Wynonna woke at three a.m. to Alice’s cries, she thought nothing of it. Alice always cried. Yawning, she slipped out of bed and headed into the nursery – Willa’s room, now all decked out in kid stuff.

            Doc already had Alice in her arms and he cooed softly as he rocked her. Wynonna watched the two of them for a moment, a dark silhouette, and gave her presence away with a particularly nasty yawn. She had no idea how Doc heard it over the crying but he did and he turned to her with a smile.

            “I got this if you wanna go back to sleep,” he said.

            “No.” Wynonna stepped forward and held out her arms. Ever so carefully, Doc transferred Alice to her. They had gotten so good at it in just a week, their handoffs faster and easier each time. Wynonna brought Alice close and smiled at her warmth. “Hey, baby girl. You hungry?”

            Doc let a small smile flick over his lips and stepped back to give Wynonna her privacy. She wasn’t sure why she insisted on it, why she cared at all. It wasn’t like it was anything Doc hadn’t seen before. But Doc was more than happy to oblige, moving to leave the room as Wynonna sat down in the rocking chair and took out her breasts.

            “Okay, do you remember what side we left off on?” Wynonna whispered. Alice continued to cry. “Yeah, me neither. But this one’s closer so let’s just...” Wynonna trailed off as Alice struggled in her arms, wailing, with no interest in her offered breasts. “Hey, girl. Come on. We’ve done this before. It’s easy as cake. You can do it.”

            Alice kept crying and flailing. Wynonna tucked her breasts back into her pyjama shirt and rocked Alice from side to side, whispering soothing gibberish that did nothing helpful. She hiked Alice up on her shoulder and bounced her. “What’s wrong, baby girl? You don’t smell bad. And you’re not hungry. What? Are you lonely?”

            As the crying continued, Doc poked his head back into the room. “Everything all right?”

            “No.” Wynonna heard the crack in her voice and tried to swallow it even as Doc rushed forward. His fingers tickled against hers as he caressed Alice’s soft hair. Taking a deep breath, Wynonna said, “She’s not hungry. She hasn’t soiled herself. I don’t... I don’t know what else to do.”

            “Well, she is mighty warm,” Doc said.

            “You think she has a fever?”

            Doc shrugged.

            Wynonna cursed. “We have to go to the hospital.”

            “The hospital? For a little fever?”

            “She’s not that old, Doc. And we don’t know how bad the fever is or what it’s doing and she’s not going to stop crying until—”

            “Okay.” Doc held up his hands in a mock surrender and then let them land, soft and steady, on Wynonna’s shoulders. He gave her his best reassuring smile – which wasn’t even close to being reassuring – and said, “We’ll go to the hospital. No problem, right?”

            “Yes, problem. Waverly’s still recovering from being taken by that revenant and I don’t want her here alone if she wakes up screaming again. And Nicole’s out of town at that stupid police conference and—”

            “Breathe.”

            Wynonna wanted to smack Doc for being so calm but she did as he said. The deep breath did little to calm her nerves but at least the constant bouncing was doing double duty – one, it comforted Alice and two, it gave Wynonna an outlet for her anxiety. She pulled Alice closer and breathed in her fresh baby scent, knowing full well it was laundry detergent and baby powder smell. “You’re gonna be all right, sweetie. Just fine. Okay?”

            “I’m gonna call Dolls.”

            “What?”

            Doc already had his phone to his ear as he said, “Dolls is gonna come over and drive you to the hospital. I’ll stay here with Waverly.”

            Wynonna didn’t have a chance to question him. When she finally got her jaw to work again, Dolls had picked up and Doc was calmly explaining the situation. Wynonna felt something turn in her stomach but she couldn’t tell if it was good or bad. It felt like warmth but Alice was also warm and at the moment, warmth was a very bad thing.

            “He’s on his way,” Doc said, pocketing his phone. “We should go wait by the front door.”

            Wynonna nodded and followed Doc out of the nursery. Going down the stairs, she shushed Alice the whole way down, hoping not to wake Waverly unnecessarily. The three of them stopped at the door and stared at it like maybe Dolls would already be there, like maybe they’d see his headlights through the window.

            “You’re okay with this?” Wynonna said.

            Doc glanced her way. “With what?”

            “Dolls helping.”

            Doc chuckled. “It was my idea, was it not?”

            “I know.” Wynonna bounced on the balls of her feet and swallowed hard. She tried her best not to meet Doc’s eyes but it was hard when she could feel him looking at her, hear his unasked questions in the air. “I just mean... before you moved in, we were kinda... not great about you taking care of Alice. And then, you know, Dolls helped a lot. And he helped you when you were here with her. And... I guess what I’m saying is you know Dolls isn’t gonna replace you, right? You’re Alice’s father. No matter how much Dolls helps out.”

            Doc chuckled again and wrapped an arm around Wynonna’s shoulders. Pulling her close, he kissed the top of her head and said, “I am aware. Wynonna, Alice is my little girl and I would do anything to protect her. Special Agent Dolls is quite often the best person to protect her. And if it turns out that she sees him as a father, that she calls him _dadda,_ well, I couldn’t ask for a better replacement.”

            Wynonna let out a breath she wasn’t aware she’d been holding. “He’s not going to replace you.”

            “We’ll see.”

            Wynonna wanted to respond – to yell at him, even – but Dolls truck was coming down the drive. Doc opened the front door and ushered Wynonna out, kissing both her and the baby on the forehead as he did.

            Wynonna turned towards the truck and rushed up to it. She slipped into the passenger seat without a word, buckled in, and held Alice tight to her chest. “Drive,” she said.

            “Shouldn’t we use a car seat?”

            “Drive.”

            Dolls hit the gas but drove considerably slower than the speed limit. Wynonna resisted the urge to grumble at him as late night talk radio babbled into static. She kept her lips near Alice’s ear, out of words but hoping even her breath would be a comfort.

            “She’ll be fine,” Dolls said. His gloved hands gripped the steering wheel hard, too hard, and Wynonna got the sense that he was talking more for his sake than hers. “Baby’s get fevers all the time. Hell, I had one near constantly when I was her age.”

            “You breathe fire.” Wynonna forced a smile. “It’s not quite the same.”

            Dolls reached over and squeezed her thigh in comfort, letting their conversation lapse into silence. Wynonna tried to feel the love in the gesture but her heart pounded with worry for her little girl. She kissed the top of Alice’s head and closed her eyes. She prayed even though she didn’t know what god she believed in or if they would even answer prayers from someone like her.

            When the truck came to a stop, she was crying softly. Dolls said nothing about it as he helped her out and into the emergency room. Luckily, the one sure-fire way to make sure you got in to see a doctor quickly was to have a screaming baby in your arms. The nurse took Alice from Wynonna and Wynonna almost couldn’t let go, couldn’t let her out of her arms. But Dolls took hold of her shoulders, kissed the top of her head, and ushered her down the hall after the nurse.

            They stood in a small room with a nurse and a doctor for a long time as they fussed over Alice. Wynonna let her weight settle back into Dolls’ chest as she bit her nails. He took her hand from her mouth and threaded their fingers together. He kissed her knuckles.

            After a while, the doctor walked over to them with a calm smile on her face. “Mr. and Mrs. Earp,” she said, “your daughter has a slightly high fever, so we have to check her out for a few common infections that may have caused it. In the meantime, I’ve given her some medicine to help the fever go down and the nurse is going to show you how to cool her down with a washcloth. We’ll get you out of here in a couple of hours.”

            Wynonna nodded, not trusting her voice. Dolls moved her forward to sit on the stool the nurse offered. Shaking, Wynonna took the cold washcloth from the nurse and followed her instructions as she smoothed the soft fabric over Alice’s forehead. Alice continued to whine and cry, so Wynonna put a hand on her belly to comfort her.

            “I’m so sorry, baby girl,” Wynonna whispered. “I’m sorry you’re in pain.”

            Dolls kissed her head again and Wynonna let herself feel the comfort of his warmth behind her. Part of her felt bad about not correcting the doctor. They weren’t married and Dolls wasn’t even the father. But she was afraid if she said that, if she let them know, they wouldn’t let Dolls stay in the room. And she couldn’t be alone while Alice cried like that and she was powerless to stop her.

            The doctor came in and out for the next few hours, taking Alice’s temperature, making small talk, and updating them on the test results. Wynonna nodded through it all, not really understanding anything other than that her baby didn’t have an infection. When she started to flag, Dolls convinced her to take a seat in the armchair and let him take over cooling Alice’s forehead. Wynonna curled up in the armchair begrudgingly, sure she couldn’t sleep while Alice was screaming, but woke at the sounds of a commotion what felt like seconds later.

            At the door to the room, two nurses were standing arguing with someone. Wynonna got to her feet and sighed when she saw the top of Doc’s hat. “Let him in,” she said.

            The nurses parted and Doc tilted his hat at them. “Thank you,” he said. He approached Wynonna and took hold of her shoulders, rubbing them gently. “Waverly woke up and told me to come see you. How is everyone?” His eyes took in her, Alice, and even Dolls on the question.

            “Fine,” Wynonna said. She forced herself to smile. “So far, no infection, which is good, but her fever’s not breaking, which is bad. And, uhh...”

            “Hey, it’s okay.” Doc pulled her into his arms. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”

            Wynonna didn’t want to cry against Doc’s chest but it was hard not to when she was working on minimal sleep and Alice was still crying. Eventually she had to get tired of doing that, right? Doc just held her tighter, whispered soothing gibberish like the kind she’d whispered to Alice, and rubbed her back. As she settled, she heard him ask, “You’re all right here?”

            “Yeah,” Dolls said. “A little tired.”

            “Let me take over.” Doc carefully uncoiled himself from Wynonna, pausing for a moment to brush back her hair and wipe away her tears, and then he took Dolls’ spot beside Alice. Dolls explained the nurse’s instructions and Doc wet the washcloth again. He squeezed it out before placing it to his daughter’s forehead and shushing her gently.

            Wynonna watched the two of them with a detached fascination. Maybe it was the early morning or the sleep deprivation, but they looked good together beside Alice. They looked like a family. Wynonna wiped at the new tears that made their way down her cheeks and approached them, falling into Dolls’ side when he reached out his arm to her.

            The doctor walked in a moment later and said, “The good news is...” She trailed off when she saw Doc. “Who is this?”

            “The father,” Wynonna replied, not caring how that made her look when the doctor thought Dolls was her husband and Alice was only a month old.

            The doctor swallowed her judgements and said, “Well, as I was saying, the good news is that Alice does not seem to have an infection. She just has a fever and while it’s a little high, at this point it’s nothing to worry about.”

            Wynonna shook her head. “She’s still too warm. And she won’t stop crying.”

            The doctor moved forward and took Alice’s temperature. With a smile, she moved back and said, “Her temperature is going down. Most likely, she’s crying because she’s hungry.”

            Wynonna let out a breathless laugh as her worry melted away. “Thank you,” she said even as she scooped Alice up in her arms. “Thank you.”

            Without a thought for who was in the room, Wynonna coaxed Alice to take her breast in her mouth. Alice latched on and started to suck. Without her cries, the room felt eerily silent, like a hospital room from a horror movie, every corner buzzing and beeping and heels clicking by in the corridor.

            Alice sucked until she got her fill and Wynonna tucked herself away again. She was vaguely aware that the men had looked away, that they were embroiled in their own whispered conversation. She cleared her throat and said, “You guys ready to get out of here?”

            “Yeah,” Dolls said. He looked up with a smile. “I should probably be heading to the station but—”

            “You need to sleep,” Doc said. He clapped Dolls on the back as he got to his feet. “Head home. Get some rest. Both of you,” he added as he turned to Wynonna. He took Alice out of her arms and smiled. “I will take Alice to work and Waverly and I will take care of her until you two have had enough rest.”

            “Nice plan, but where are you gonna get the cars for it?”

            “Take my keys. Waverly will pick me up.”

            “Where are your keys?”

            “Front pocket.” When Wynonna didn’t move, Doc added, “I’m holding a baby, Wynonna.”

            Wynonna crossed her arms. “I can take her back.”

            Doc sighed. “It’s nothing you haven’t fished for before.”

            Wynonna started to smirk, a biting retort already on her lips, but Dolls pushed past her. He dug his hand into Doc’s front pocket, got the keys, and tossed them to her. “Sorry,” he said as he headed for the door. “I didn’t want to listen to that for the next hour.”

            Doc chuckled and Wynonna tried hard not to smirk as she met his eyes. Doc moved forward and kissed her cheek. “Have a good sleep,” he whispered. “Try not to let the Dolls bite.”

            “Ha ha,” she said. She kissed his stubbly cheek and then the smooth forehead of their baby. With one last whispered goodbye, she headed out the door and towards the parking lot.

            Dolls fell into step beside her and she twisted her fingers into his. “Thank you,” she said, “for coming. For staying. I don’t think I could have done that alone.”

            Dolls kissed her knuckles. “You don’t have to do any of it alone. I’m always here for you. For both of you.”

            Wynonna frowned, for a moment thinking he meant her and Doc, and then realizing he meant Alice. She shook her head to clear it and then smiled big as their fingers slipped away from each other. “I’ll see you at work this afternoon?”

            Dolls saluted and the two parted ways. Wynonna headed for her car with a heavy heart and a fuzzy head. She put it down to sleep deprivation as the engine revved and she started home.


End file.
